U.S. patent number 10,985,540 [Application Number 16/335,945] was granted by the patent office on 2021-04-20 for clamp for inserting a flexurally elastic strand into a receptacle intended to receive the strand via an opening.
This patent grant is currently assigned to ORANGE. The grantee listed for this patent is Orange. Invention is credited to Jean-Luc Campion, Daniel Lecoq.
United States Patent |
10,985,540 |
Lecoq , et al. |
April 20, 2021 |
Clamp for inserting a flexurally elastic strand into a receptacle
intended to receive the strand via an opening
Abstract
A clamp for inserting an elastic strand into an opening of a
receptacle. The clamp includes a longitudinal housing capable of
housing a segment of the strand and through which the strand may
slide. The clamp further includes: a blocking element including a
first portion of the housing, the blocking element deforming a
first portion of the housed segment when an external pressure is
applied to the blocking element, the elastic force of the strand
returning the first portion of the segment to its initial shape
when the external pressure is no longer applied, the sliding of the
strand being blocked by the bending deformation of the first
portion of the housed segment; a guide including a second portion
of the housing, the guide at least partially surrounding a second
portion of the housed segment, and configured to guide the clamp in
the direction of the opening in the receptacle.
Inventors: |
Lecoq; Daniel (Chatillon,
FR), Campion; Jean-Luc (Chatillon, FR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Orange |
Paris |
N/A |
FR |
|
|
Assignee: |
ORANGE (Paris,
FR)
|
Family
ID: |
1000005502144 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/335,945 |
Filed: |
September 26, 2017 |
PCT
Filed: |
September 26, 2017 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/FR2017/052582 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
March 22, 2019 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2018/060585 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
April 05, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20190222006 A1 |
Jul 18, 2019 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
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Sep 30, 2016 [FR] |
|
|
1659457 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02G
1/085 (20130101); B65H 51/18 (20130101); B65H
2402/414 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H02G
1/08 (20060101); B65H 51/18 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;24/712.5-712.8 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2926986 |
|
Jan 1981 |
|
DE |
|
0285699 |
|
Oct 1988 |
|
EP |
|
Other References
International Search Report dated Dec. 8, 2017 for corresponding
International Application No. PCT/FR2017/052582, filed Sep. 26,
2017. cited by applicant .
Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority dated Dec.
8, 2017 for corresponding International Application No.
PCT/FR2017/052582, filed Sep. 26, 2017. cited by applicant .
English translation of the Written Opinion of the International
Searching Authority dated Dec. 8, 2017 for corresponding
International Application No. PCT/FR2017/052582, filed Sep. 26,
2017. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Travers; Matthew P
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brush; David D. Westman, Champlin
& Koehler, P.A.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A clamp for inserting a flexurally elastic strand through an
orifice of a receptacle, the clamp comprising: a longitudinal
housing which is able to accommodate a segment of the strand and in
which the strand can slide; a blocking element comprising a first
part of the housing, a fixed lower jaw and a movable upper jaw, the
upper jaw fitting into an opening in the lower jaw in the manner of
a piston, the upper jaw being a separate part of the clamp and
configured to be completely removed from the clamp in order to let
the strand in or out of the housing when the upper jaw is removed
from the clamp, the upper jaw having a non rectilinear profile so
as to impress a non rectilinear shape on a first part of the
segment accommodated in the first part of the housing when the jaws
are moved together, the first part of the housing allowing a
rectilinear passageway for the strand when the jaws are moved
apart, and preventing a rectilinear passageway for the strand when
the jaws are moved together; and a guide comprising a second part
of the housing, the guide at least partially surrounding a second
part of the accommodated segment and being configured to guide the
clamp in the direction of the orifice of the receptacle.
2. The clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper jaw can take
up at least one position moved away from the lower jaw, in which
the housing is open.
3. The clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide is a guide
tube.
4. The clamp as claimed in claim 3, wherein an outside diameter of
the guide tube is designed for the tube to enter through the
orifice of the receptacle.
5. The clamp as claimed in claim 3, wherein the receptacle is a
tube for receiving the strand, and wherein an inside diameter of
the guide tube is designed for the receptacle tube to slide in the
guide tube.
6. The clamp as claimed in claim 3, wherein an opening in the
second part of the housing is a longitudinal slot in the guide
tube, not parallel to the guide tube.
7. The clamp as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slot follows a
spiral along at least a part of a length of the guide tube.
8. The clamp as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slot follows a
sinusoidal shape along at least a part of a length of the guide
tube.
9. A method comprising: inserting a flexurally elastic strand
through an orifice of a receptacle with the aid of a clamp, which
comprises: a longitudinal housing which is able to accommodate a
segment of the strand and in which the strand can slide; a blocking
element comprising a first part of the housing, a fixed lower jaw
and a movable upper jaw, the upper jaw fitting into an opening in
the lower jaw in the manner of a piston, the upper jaw being a
separate part of the clamp in order to let the strand in or out of
the housing when the upper jaw is removed from the clamp, the upper
jaw having a non rectilinear profile so as to impress a non
rectilinear shape on a first part of the segment accommodated in
the first part of the housing when the jaws are moved together, the
first part of the housing allowing a rectilinear passageway for the
strand when the jaws are moved apart, and preventing a rectilinear
passageway for the strand when the jaws are moved together; and a
guide comprising a second part of the housing, the guide at least
partially surrounding a second part of the accommodated segment and
being configured to guide the clamp in the direction of the orifice
of the receptacle wherein the inserting comprises: a step of
removing the upper jaw from the clamp, a step of positioning the
segment of the strand in the housing of the clamp, a step of
inserting the upper jaw into the lower jaw, and at least one
iteration of inserting a length of strand, called an insertion
length, comprising the following steps: applying a pressure to the
upper jaw with one finger, having the effect of blocking the strand
in the clamp by deforming the first part of the strand segment,
bringing one end of the guide into contact with the orifice of the
receptacle, moving the clamp and the orifice closer together over a
distance corresponding to an effective length of the guide and the
insertion length, releasing the pressure on the blocking element,
having the effect of allowing the strand to slide without the
housing being opened, and repositioning by moving the clamp away
from the orifice over a distance corresponding to the insertion
length.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application is a Section 371 National Stage Application of
International Application No. PCT/FR2017/052582, filed Sep. 26,
2017, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety and
published as WO 2018/060585 A1 on Apr. 5, 2018, not in English.
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The application lies in the field of the installation of cables of
fairly small dimensions so as to be able to be manipulated by hand.
In particular, it relates to a tool for manipulating a flexurally
elastic strand, for example a cable or a draw cable, with the aim
of inserting the strand into a receptacle which may be a tube, or a
storage reel.
2. PRIOR ART
In order to insert a strand manually into a receptacle such as a
tube or a reel, a person has to hold the strand in their hand at a
certain distance from the orifice of the receptacle, this distance
corresponding to an insertion length, exert a certain pressure on
the held strand in order to prevent it from slipping in the hand,
move the hand toward the orifice in order to enter the length of
strand into the latter by pushing thereon, and then release the
strand in order to reposition the hand at the same distance from
the orifice corresponding to an insertion length, and so on.
The insertion of a strand into any kind of receptacle is an
operation that is difficult to carry out with a bare hand, since
the strand meets slight resistance on insertion into the
receptacle, or if the total length of the strand to be inserted is
long.
Clamps exist for making this operation easier, for example the one
described in the European patent EP0285699, which comprises a grip
that traps a segment of strand in a groove.
The pressure exerted by the hand needs to be enough to block the
section of strand in the clamp. Since slipping of the strand in the
groove is not necessarily perceptible, a person will tend to exert
more pressure than necessary in order to be certain of preventing
this slippage, this being tiring over a long period of time.
During repeated operations of repositioning the clamp along the
strand after the insertion of each length, a mechanism provided
with a spring is often necessary to allow easy opening of the
clamp.
In addition, for an effective insertion operation, the insertion
length needs to be long, or the movement has to be repeated
quickly. However, if the length is too long, or if the movement is
too quick, the clamp cannot prevent the strand from bending rather
than entering the orifice, thus risking damaging or even breaking
the strand.
One of the aims of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks of
the prior art.
3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention aims to improve the situation with the aid of a clamp
for inserting a flexurally elastic strand through an orifice of a
receptacle, the clamp comprising a longitudinal housing which is
able to accommodate a segment of the strand and in which the strand
can slide, the clamp also comprising: a blocking means comprising a
first part of the housing, the blocking means flexurally deforming
a first part of the accommodated segment when an external pressure
is applied to the blocking means, the elastic force of the strand
returning the first part of the segment to its initial shape when
the external pressure is no longer applied, the strand being
prevented from sliding by the flexural deformation of the first
part of the accommodated segment, a guide means comprising a second
part of the housing, the guide means at least partially surrounding
a second part of the accommodated segment and being configured to
guide the clamp in the direction of the orifice of the
receptacle.
When the first part of the segment that is accommodated in the
clamp is kept flexurally deformed, the strand can no longer slip
longitudinally in the clamp. The pressure necessary to block the
strand is thus that which is sufficient to deform the strand. This
necessary pressure is very easy for the operator to monitor
visually, since it corresponds to a movement of the blocking means.
By contrast, according to the prior art, the pressure that prevents
any longitudinal slippage of the strand is compression of the
strand over a segment that is left rectilinear, that is to say
without being deformed, and thus without any movement, perceptible
to the naked eye, of the blocking means between a contact position
without applied pressure and a pressing position.
In addition, since the guide means surrounds the strand over a
second part of the segment accommodated in the clamp, this second
part, which is not held by the blocking means, is all the same
prevented from bending when the clamp with the blocked strand is
pushed toward the orifice, even if strong resistance is encountered
upon insertion through the orifice. By positioning the free end of
the guide means in contact with the orifice, this amounting to
making the insertion length correspond to the length of the guide
means, or, in other words, to the length of the part of the strand
segment contained in the guide means, the insertion movement
effected length by length can be repeated very quickly by the
operator without any fear of bending the strand.
Finally, since the strand is flexurally elastic, it returns to its,
generally rectilinear, initial shape as soon as the pressure on the
blocking means is removed, thereby allowing the strand to slide
freely in the housing of the clamp, without a specific mechanism
being necessary to free the strand from the blocking means, such as
a spring. Thus, the clamp can be repositioned easily to its
starting point after the insertion of a length of strand, without a
particular effort being necessary to loosen the clamp.
By virtue of the invention, the insertion operation is thus
rendered more efficient.
According to one aspect of the invention, the blocking means
comprises a fixed lower jaw, comprising the first part of the
housing, and a movable upper jaw, able to at least partially enter
the first part of the housing in order to cover the first part of
the accommodated segment, the upper jaw having a nonrectilinear
profile so as to impress a nonrectilinear shape on the first part
of the accommodated segment when the jaws are moved together.
In order to impress a nonrectilinear shape on a flexible strand,
all that is necessary is for a pressure to be applied to the bottom
and top thereof at several contact points disposed alternately
under and over the strand. It will be understood that, by disposing
the lower contact points on the lower jaw and the upper points on
the upper jaw, a large number of jaw profiles are possible. For
example, a sinusoidal shape has the advantage of distributing the
pressure over the lower and upper surfaces of the strand. By
contrast, a sawtooth shape, although it risks damaging the strand
on account of the concentration of the pressure exerted on the
surfaces of the strand over a small number of points, has the
advantage of being very easy to manufacture.
According to one aspect of the invention, the blocking means is
actuated by a pressure exerted by a hand clasping the two jaws.
In order to minimize the effort to be exerted by the operator of
the clamp, the jaws are dimensions so as to be held together in a
hand of ordinary size, preferably in the palm. Thus, all that is
necessary is to close the hand in order to actuate the blocking
means. In addition, the sensitivity of the hand means that the
movement of the jaws toward one another is detected very easily. It
is thus easy for the operator not only to know when the blocking
means is actuated but also to regulate the force necessary without
tiring.
By releasing the hand pressure, the jaws move apart in a movement
detected by the sensitivity of the hand. The operator thus knows
that the strand has become rectilinear again, that it is no longer
blocked and that it can thus slide in the clamp.
According to one aspect of the invention, the upper jaw can take up
at least one position moved away from the lower jaw, in which the
housing is open.
By moving apart the jaws a little more than necessary in order for
the strand to return to its rectilinear shape, the opening of the
housing of the clamp becomes entirely free, making it possible to
remove the strand segment from the clamp at the end of the
insertion operation, or to house the strand segment in the strand
at the start of the insertion operation.
According to one aspect of the invention, the upper jaw is joined
to the clamp by a hinge.
Advantageously, a hinge ensures the alignment of the jaws opposite
one another.
According to one aspect of the invention, the upper jaw is joined
to the clamp by a flexible membrane.
Advantageously, the membrane and the jaws can form a single part.
For example, this part can be made of a plastics material having
properties such that the jaws are sufficiently hard, and the
membrane, being thin, is sufficiently flexible to allow the
movement of the upper jaw with respect to the lower jaw.
According to one aspect of the invention, the upper jaw fits into
the lower jaw in the manner of a piston.
Advantageously, the upper jaw is a separate part from the rest of
the clamp, and a joining part, such as a hinge or a membrane, is
not necessary. It acts in the manner of a piston in the lower jaw,
which forms, with at least a part of the opening of the housing,
the skirt of the piston. In order to avoid a situation in which the
operator loses the upper jaw, which is detachable, it can be joined
to the clamp by a chain or a cord, however.
According to one aspect of the invention, the guide means is a
guide tube.
Advantageously, the part of the housing that is not contained in
the blocking means is contained in the guide means, which is in the
shape of a tube. Thus, the length of the clamp that is not occupied
by the blocking means serves as a guide tube for the clamp.
According to one aspect of the invention, the outside diameter of
the guide tube is designed for the tube to enter through the
orifice of the receptacle.
Advantageously, the guide tube can slide in the orifice of the
receptacle. Thus, the insertion length of the strand corresponds
approximately to the length of the guide tube.
According to one aspect of the invention, the receptacle is a tube
for receiving the strand, and where the inside diameter of the
guide tube is designed for the receiving tube to slide in the guide
tube.
Advantageously, the guide tube is designed for the clamp to wind a
strand into a receptacle, for example a paying-out device extended
by a starting tube for making it easier to introduce the strand
into a sheath when it exits the paying-out device. The starting
tube of the paying-out device constitutes the receiving tube of the
receptacle within the meaning of the invention. After the strand
has been used as a draw cable in a sheath, for example, the clamp
having an inside diameter of the guide tube designed in such a way,
i.e. slightly greater than the outside diameter of the receiving
tube, is capable of winding the strand into this type of
receptacle. The insertion length of the strand corresponds
approximately to the length of the guide tube.
According to one aspect of the invention, the opening in the second
part of the housing is a longitudinal slot in the guide tube, not
parallel to the guide tube.
Advantageously, since the slot is not parallel to the guide tube,
it is not parallel to the housing or to the accommodated strand,
either. The accommodated strand thus cannot exit the housing by
accident during the operation of insertion length by length. Only
an express manipulation on the part of the operator can force the
strand to be positioned opposite the slot in order to exit through
the opening.
According to one aspect of the invention, the slot follows a spiral
along at least a part of the length of the guide tube.
Advantageously, the spiral shape makes it possible to insert one
end of the strand into the guide tube by twirling the clamp around
the strand, without having to deform the strand.
According to one aspect of the invention, the slot follows a
sinusoidal shape along at least a part of the length of the guide
tube.
Advantageously, the sinusoidal shape, if it is not very pronounced,
makes it possible to easily push one end of the strand into the
guide tube, deforming it slightly so that it takes on the
shape.
The invention also relates to a large number of other suitable
shapes for the slot, which are not parallel to the guide tube.
The various aspects of the clamp that have just been described can
be implemented independently of one another or, in some cases, in
combination with one another.
The invention also relates to a method for inserting a flexurally
elastic strand through an orifice of a receptacle with the aid of a
clamp as has just been described, comprising a step of positioning
a strand segment in a housing of the clamp, and at least one
iteration of inserting a length of strand comprising the following
steps of: applying a hand pressure to a blocking means, having the
effect of blocking the strand in the clamp by deforming a part of
the strand segment, bringing one end of a guide means into contact
with the orifice of the receptacle, moving the clamp and the
orifice together over a distance corresponding to the effective
length of the guide means and the insertion length, releasing the
pressure on the blocking means, having the effect of allowing the
strand to slide without the housing being opened, repositioning by
moving the clamp away from the orifice over a distance
corresponding to the insertion length.
4. PRESENTATION OF THE FIGURES
Other advantages and features of the invention will become more
clearly apparent from reading the following description of a
particular embodiment of the invention, given by way of simple
illustrative and nonlimiting example, and the appended drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 shows a first view of the clamp, in an open position,
according to one aspect of the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a second view of the clamp, in an open position,
according to one aspect of the invention;
FIG. 3 shows a third view of the clamp, in a closed position,
according to one aspect of the invention;
FIG. 4 shows a fourth, axial, view of the clamp in an open
position, according to one aspect of the invention;
FIG. 5 shows a view of the clamp according to another embodiment of
the invention.
5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION
In the rest of the description, examples of a number of embodiments
of the invention according to different aspects will be presented,
but the invention can be realized with different forms.
The term strand is used to denote the filiform object to be
inserted into a receptacle by virtue of the clamp according to the
invention. The clamp according to the invention can be used for all
types of flexurally elastic filiform objects. It will be understood
that the term strand encompasses for example electric cables,
optical cables, or draw cables, of any material, having this
mechanical characteristic of flexural elasticity.
Several views of one and the same example of a clamp, according to
a first embodiment of the invention, are presented in FIGS. 1, 2, 3
and 4, wherein the references used are the same.
The clamp 1 has a longitudinal shape and is passed through along
its entire length by a housing 2 for a strand, from a first opening
of the housing 2 to an end of the clamp at a second opening at the
other end. When it is accommodated in this housing 2, the strand
can thus protrude from both ends.
The clamp 1 is made up of two aligned main parts, both of which are
passed through by the housing 2. one part comprising a blocking
means 3, and one part comprising a guide means 4.
The guide means 4 is in the form of a tube in the examples
illustrated, and is referred to as guide tube below. However, other
embodiments are possible with other forms for the guide means 4,
depending on the type of opening of the receptacle into which the
strand is intended to be inserted.
The blocking means 3 is made up of two jaws 3a and 3b that are
joined by a hinge 5. This hinge can be replaced by any other means
that is able to guide the upper jaw 3b toward the lower jaw 3a. The
lower jaw 3a is fixed and secured to the guide tube 4, with which
it can form a single part, while the upper jaw 3b is movable with
respect to the rest of the clamp 1.
The part 2a of the housing that is located in the blocking means 3
is in the lower jaw 3a and comprises an opening facing the upper
jaw 3b.
This opening of the housing 2 is continued in the form of a slot 6
along the entire length of the part 2b of the housing that is
located in the guide tube 4.
Through this opening, an operator can easily place a flexurally
elastic strand in the housing 2. Once accommodated, the strand can
slide in the housing without exiting the latter. Specifically, in
the blocking means 3, all that is necessary is to move the upper
jaw 3b toward the lower jaw 3a in order to close the opening of the
housing 2 in its part 2a. In the guide tube 4, one particularity of
the slot 6 is that it is not parallel to the housing 2b. The
strand, which, for its part, is parallel to the housing 2a once it
has been inserted therein by the operator through the slot 6 by
deforming it slightly, may thus no longer exit the latter except
for by a reverse operation by the operator involving a similar
deformation. The slot 6 can be rectilinear without being parallel,
for example take on the form of a slight spiral starting from the
opening of the part 2a to the junction thereof with the part 2b of
the housing 2, meeting the free end of the guide tube 4, encircling
the latter. The slot 6 can also be sinusoidal without encircling
the guide tube 4, as shown in FIG. 2.
Once the strand is accommodated in the clamp, it can slide as long
as the blocking means is only partially closed, that is to say as
long as the jaws 3a and 3b are sufficiently far apart for the
housing 2 to remain rectilinear along its entire length, including
in its part 2a. FIGS. 2 and 4 illustrate such a position of the
jaws partially closed. In order to control the closure of the
blocking means 3, the operator places the two jaws 3a and 3b in the
palm of his hand. In their partially or completely closed
positions, the jaws take on a substantially cylindrical shape,
ergonomically adapted to manipulation in one hand. FIG. 3 clearly
illustrates this cylindrical shape of the blocking means 3 of the
clamp 1 when it is in the closed position.
When the operator completely closes the blocking means 3, that is
to say when he moves the two jaws together as far as possible by
closing his hand, the strand is blocked and cannot slide, since the
housing 2 in which it is accommodated is no longer rectilinear.
Specifically, the contact surface 7 of the upper jaw 3b with the
strand has a nonrectilinear profile which pushes a segment of the
strand to the bottom of the lower jaw 3a by flexurally deforming
it. In this embodiment, the profile is sinusoidal but other shapes
are possible, for example a sawtooth shape. It is preferable but
not obligatory for the profile of the contact surface of the lower
jaw 3a to be identical, in order that the two jaws touch the strand
in the deformed segment, this having the advantage of increasing
the force blocking the strand in the clamp 1 in the closed
position. Another way of increasing the blocking force is to
increase the adhesion of the contact surface of at least one of the
jaws, by way of an appropriate material, for example rubber.
When the operator opens his hand, the jaws become free to move
apart from one another again. The elastic force of the strand tends
to return it to its rectilinear shape, this having the effect of
pushing the upper jaw 3b away from the lower jaw 3a. The housing 2
becomes rectilinear again along its entire length, including in its
part 2a, and the strand can again slide in the clamp.
The operator can thus alternate very quickly between a position in
which the strand is blocked in the clamp and a position in which it
slides freely, simply by holding the blocking means of the clamp in
the palm of his hand and by clamping or loosening the clamp without
letting it go, this being one of the easiest and least tiring
muscular movements for the human body.
By virtue of the guide tube 4, it becomes very easy to insert the
strand into a receptacle, by coordinating the alternate clamping
and releasing movement of the palm of the hand with a back and
forth movement toward the orifice of the receptacle.
Specifically, the tubular shape of the guide means 4 makes it
possible to slide the clamp 1 with respect to the orifice of the
receptacle, thereby avoiding a situation in which a part of the
strand located between the clamp and the receptacle is in the open
when the strand is pushed toward the receptacle, in which case
there would be a risk of this part of the strand bending, or even
breaking.
There are at least two variant embodiments of the guide tube 4,
depending on whether the guide tube 4 enters the receptacle (first
variant) or whether the receptacle enters the guide tube 4 (second
variant). In the second variant, the receptacle is also a tube,
referred to as insertion tube in order to distinguish it from the
guide tube. An insertion tube is for example a sheath intended to
receive a cable if the strand is a cable, or a draw cable starting
tube if the strand is a draw cable.
In the first variant, the outside diameter of the guide tube 4
needs to be slightly less than that of the orifice of the
receptacle in order to slide easily therein.
In the second variant, the inside diameter of the guide tube 4,
that is to say the inside diameter of the part 2b of the housing 2
that is in the guide tube, needs to be slightly greater than the
outside diameter of the insertion tube, in order that the latter
slides easily therein.
For these two variants, the length by length insertion process is
similar. An insertion length corresponds to the length of the
sliding movement of the guide tube 4 in the orifice of the
receptacle, or of the sliding movement of the orifice of the
insertion tube in the guide tube 4, depending on the variant. It
will be understood that this insertion length can then be as long
as the guide tube 4.
Once the strand has been accommodated in the housing 2 of the clamp
1 by opening and then closing the blocking means 3, the operator
grasps the blocking means 3 in the palm of his hand and positions
the free end of the guide tube 4 in the orifice of the receptacle,
or he positions the orifice of the insertion tube in the free end
of the guide tube 4, depending on the variant.
Then, he effects a back and forth movement along the insertion
length, by closing his palm in the direction of the orifice and
opening his palm in the opposite direction. This gesture is very
similar to the one applied to a bicycle pump to inflate a tire. On
each movement, a strand length corresponding to the insertion
length is thus inserted into the receptacle. By virtue of the guide
means 3 and the blocking means 4 of the clamp 1 according to the
invention, it will be understood that, during each insertion
movement, the strand cannot bend, even if it encounters resistance
in the receptacle.
FIG. 5 shows a view of a clamp according to another embodiment of
the invention.
The clamp 1b differs from the clamp 1 by way of the blocking means
3c. The blocking means 3c also comprises a lower jaw 3d forming a
single part with the guide means 4, and a movable upper jaw 3e, but
the latter is not joined to the lower jaw 3d by a hinge or a
flexible membrane. In this embodiment, the upper jaw 3e is a
separate part of the clamp that is designed to slide in the opening
of the lower jaw 3d, in the manner of a piston in its skirt. In
order to open the clamp and accommodate the strand, all that is
necessary is to completely remove the upper jaw 3e from the clamp.
A chain or a cord (not illustrated) can be added between the upper
jaw 3e and the clamp in order to avoid the loss of the small part
that forms the upper jaw 3e. This embodiment may be suitable for a
small model of clamp, in which a hinge would be more fragile. In
such a model of a clamp that is suitable for strands of small cross
section, the blocking means can be held between the fingers rather
than in the palm of the hand, for example with the thumb positioned
on the upper jaw 3e and one or more fingers positioned under the
lower jaw 3d.
The components of the clamp according to the invention, and the
total length thereof, can effectively be dimensioned and adapted
easily depending on the dimensions and the cross-sectional shape of
the strand to be inserted. In particular, the width of the housing
2 depends on the width of the strand, and the shape of the housing
2 may be configured in a substantially circular or substantially
rectangular manner, depending on whether the strand has a circular
or more flattened cross section.
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